write argumentation paper packet

Nick Pincumbe

EN 1101 Argumentation Paper Packet

Your assignment, if you choose to accept it (and youâ€™d better, itâ€™s worth 20% of your grade!) is to write a fully fleshed out Argumentation paper (6G) on a debatable topic that interests you. Avoid logical fallacies, include plenty of logical analysis and concrete evidence (from credible sources) in your appeal, and carefully consider a primary counterargument to your stance and (respectfully) refute it. Here are some sample controversial statements you might consider arguing for or against:

Reality television lacks any artistic value.

This paper should include properly cited quotes or paraphrases from at least three credible sources to support your thesis.

Your essay should contain a thesis statement that gives me an idea of how you will back this point up and how your support will be organized throughout. It should also fulfill the other requirements of your rubric.

1200 words (four pages double spaced 12 point font). Please include your name, a title, the date, and your class hour at the top, as well as page numbers throughout.

Nick Pincumbe

EN 1101 Argumentation Paper

Assignment 6A: Pre-Writing

Your first assignment in the creation of your Argumentation Paper (6G) is to do a Pre-Writing exercise (6A). For this exercise you can choose one type of Pre-Writing, such as:

Asking questions

Listing

Brainstorming

Freewriting

Clustering

Bubbling

Informal Outlining

At the top of the first page of your assignment, list the type of Pre-Writing you chose to use from this list.

Choose an appropriate topic for the Argumentation paper (sample topics listed on the first page of this prompt) and write out one of the above Pre-Writing activities on that topic.

Your Pre-Writing activity should be at least one full page in length.

At the bottom of the last page of your assignment, write down a one sentence description of your narrowed topic for this paper.

If you have any questions, please donâ€™t hesitate to ask!

Nick Pincumbe

EN 1101 Argumentation Paper

Assignment 6B: Thesis Statement

Your second assignment in the creation of your Argumentation Paper (6G) is to create your thesis statement (6B). For this exercise you should use this sheet as your guide and create a printed one page assignment that identifies your TOPIC, your STANCE on that topic, and three SUPPORT POINTS that you will use to back up that stance in your paper. Please include your name, date, etc., as you would on any other assignment and bring one hard copy to library day (see Course Schedule announcement for dates).

Thesis Statement Breakdown

Topic:

Stance:

First support point:

Second support point:

Third support point:

Sample Layout

Due to/Because of

1) (First Support Point)____________________________________________________,

2) (Second Support Point)__________________________________________________,

and

3) (Third Support Point)___________________________________________________,

4) (Topic and Stance)______________________________________________________.

If you have any questions, please donâ€™t hesitate to ask!

Nick Pincumbe

EN 1101 Argumentation Paper

Assignment 6C: Annotated Bibliography

Your third assignment in the creation of your Argumentation Paper (6G) is to create an annotated bibliography (6C). An annotated bibliography formalizes your research process. It forces us to spend a bit more time thinking about the sources weâ€™re using, whether we can trust them, and how we are using them in our writing. For this assignment, you should take your thesis statement and outline (Assignment 6B) and research one academic quality source that you can use to support the arguments in your compare/contrast paper.

You will need to use library resources to find one reliable source. Your annotated bibliography should include four distinct parts:

A full citation of that source in MLA Style as it would appear on your Works Cited page.
A short one paragraph summary of the important information contained in that source.
A thoughtful one paragraph explanation of why you found this source to be credible.
A short one paragraph explanation of how you could use this source to support your thesis.

Other than the citation, each part of your annotated bib should consist of complete sentences. Make sure to visually distinguish each part of the assignment.

Your research will start as an in-class activity, but you do not have to complete all parts of the assignment in class. Your source must be run by me during class, in the library, in order to verify that it is of academic quality. Be prepared to summarize your source and explain its credibility when you share it with me.

Sources can be electronic or print, but should be of academic quality (no .com, no wiki, no dictionaries or encyclopedias).

Type the results of this assignment to submit with your other assignments when your final draft is due (Assignment 6G).

If you have any questions, please donâ€™t hesitate to ask!

Nick Pincumbe

EN 1101 Argumentation Paper

Assignment 6D: Outline

Your fourth assignment in the creation of your Argumentation Paper (6G) is to take your thesis statement (6B) and expand it into an outline (6D). For this exercise you should use this handout as your guide and create a printed two-to-three page assignment that outlines a five paragraph structure for your essay based on an introduction, three support paragraphs, and a conclusion. Per our discussion in class, the three support points from your thesis should be the basis for your three support paragraphs.

Since youâ€™ll be including source material for this paper, you can record key quotes or paraphrases (and their in-text citations) as examples where appropriate. Make sure to include your explanation or analysis of the source material you choose to use.

Please include your name, date, etc., as you would on any other assignment and bring one hard copy to your Conference (see Course Schedule announcement for dates).

See the next two pages for a helpful breakdown of how to assemble a complete outline. If you have any questions, please donâ€™t hesitate to ask!

Outline Breakdown

Introduction

Hook___________________________________________________________________

Background______________________________________________________________

Point 1) _________________________________________________________________

Point 2) _________________________________________________________________

Point 3) _________________________________________________________________

Thesis __________________________________________________________________

Support One

Topic Sentence ___________________________________________________________

Example or Citation 1a)____________________________________________________

Analysis/Explanation 1b)__________________________________________________

Example or Citation 2a)____________________________________________________

Analysis/Explanation 2b)__________________________________________________

Example or Citation 3a)____________________________________________________

Analysis/Explanation 3b)__________________________________________________

Explanation (relates back to thesis) ___________________________________________

Transition _______________________________________________________________

Support Two

Topic Sentence ___________________________________________________________

Example or Citation 1a)____________________________________________________

Analysis/Explanation 1b)__________________________________________________

Example or Citation 2a)____________________________________________________

Analysis/Explanation 2b)__________________________________________________

Example or Citation 3a)____________________________________________________

Analysis/Explanation 3b)__________________________________________________

Explanation (relates back to thesis) __________________________________________

Transition _______________________________________________________________

Support Three